


for a few precious moments

by twelveam



Series: and then the sun [2]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22702000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twelveam/pseuds/twelveam
Summary: farmer sun works some magic for valentines day and finds themself happier than they thought they could be !
Series: and then the sun [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1629865
Kudos: 9





	for a few precious moments

Valentine’s Day comes in like a storm and Sun is just barely ready for it. They wake up earlier than usual just in case, stumbling around the kitchen with their eyes welded shut, bumping into the counters and patting around in an attempt to find the coffee machine. Boss is a warm weight against their side, keeping them steady while they struggle to stay awake until the coffee is ready, swaying sleepily. 

The scent of freshly brewed coffee soon fills their kitchen and jolts them awake. They drown it in sugar and cream before bolting down a cup and then pouring themself another.

Breakfast is a hasty affair but they still take a moment to savor it, the perfect stillness of dawn, the peacefulness and easy comfort of work, of making themself something to eat and washing their dishes after they’re done. Boss likes to take his time with his food so they bring his dish out of the kitchen to where he can watch them work; he offers them a soft bark in gratitude.

Their desk is still a mess of flowers and colorful scraps, though all the cards have been completed and the gifts are all ready to be sent out. Sun sweeps away rose petals and unfinished bookmarks, humming idly as they clean up the space. Everything needs to be perfect for today, starting from here. A tidy room is a tidy mind, as Henri used to say. 

All is going well, until a determined pool of glitter from Jas and Vincent’s recent visit catches on the broom and ends up a shining streak of pink across the floor. 

Sun stares at it and sweeps again. The pool widens into a stream, its tint no less gloriously bright despite the way it has spread out and thinned. 

“Ah,” says Sun and Boss perks up his ears and looks at them. They remember that parents should not swear in front of their children.

“Good boy,” they tell him instead and Boss lights up.

They beam at him as he wags his tail.

The stream of glitter lives to fight another day.

Sun goes through the rest of the cleaning a little bit quicker, snipping off the bottom ends of flower stems before filling a few extra jars with water and arranging them by color. Several mismatched but colorful bouquets later, they have a full table of flower settings that will look very lovely as decoration.

They’ve already reserved the park for the occasion and it’s still a little early but some of their special additions will take some time. Better to get started now than find themself out of time to finish later! Sun takes a little more time dressing up than usual, tapping idly at the side of their glasses to turn the lenses a pale rose.

Perfect! They have this in the bag.

They do _not_ have this in the bag, it turns out. For once, there is no way the blame can be assigned to them. If they must be blamed it would be because their take over of the park was too intriguing for the townspeople to resist investigating, despite the fact that they had all been invited to partake of the festivities once they were done decorating! 

But three times now they’ve caught Abigail attempting to hoist herself over the fence, grinning sheepishly once caught but trying again with better results each time.

Eveyln has offered them cookies twice and watched them work with a sweet twinkle in her eye, offering them a drink before she left. Even Shane, with Jas’s charming smile an undefeatable weapon at his side, had come to take a look and gotten an eyeful before they chased him out.

“I seem to recall you saying you would keep them out,” Sun says to Lewis, who is apparently too busy batting at a small ball of light to listen. “ _Mayor_.”

“Oh!” he says, clearing his throat and laughing sheepishly. “Well, I did my best you know?”

“No,” says Sun, pointing at Abigail starry-eyed and halfway to the glowing fountain, having recruited both Sam and Sebastian to help her get past the fence. “It doesn’t look like you have.”

Lewis coughs. 

“Off with you,” they say to him. “No one comes here until sundown.”

“Oh alright,” he sighs. “But, I heard you let Evelyn in here with a plate of cookies. Taking bribes now, Farmer Sun?”

“Yes,” they say, shamelessly. “Now shoo!”

He leaves with a jaunty tip of the hat and Sun turns around to try and chase Abigail off again. It turns out however, that both she and cohort have been stalled in place by their most loyal ally.

“You are my only hope on this cold and loveless eve,” they tell Boss, who sits up and wags his tail cheerfully at the sight of them.

“Dude,” says Sam earnestly, scratching behind Boss’s ears. “It’s Valentine's Day. Today’s the loviest eve _ever_.”

“Hi Sunny,” says Abigail, grinning. “How’d you make the fountain light up like that?”

“My secrets have secrets,” they inform her, solemnly. “Begone.”

Sebastian laughs under his breath. “Did you steal that line from the Dreadlord?”

“And what if I did? I’ve already defeated him in honorable combat, I can use this line as I wish. Now shoo.”

“I don’t think that’s how that works.”

“Then Dreadlord Xarth may sue me for plagiarism if he so wishes. Out now or I won’t let you back in later.”

Sam laughs out loud at that, and Abigail snorts so loudly she startles Boss and promptly apologizes by giving him belly rubs. In the end they all leave with smiles on their faces.

“Alright my precious dear,” Sun says to Boss. “Come with me a moment. I need you to guard our gates.”

Boss leaps off the ground and dances around them, tongue lolling in excitement.

Sun laughs and directs him to his battle station. No one gets by after that no matter how hard they try. Victory is the sound of Alex trying to bribe Boss to let him in only to be gently refused.

Boss gets more than a few treats and pets out of the endeavor but stands firm, nudging intruders off the premises with carefully controlled strength. They can hear the sound of Vincent’s excited giggles as Boss carries him back to his father. 

It gives them the last push they need to complete the decorations. 

A large ball of light floats in front of them and sparks fall from the tips of their fingers. They concentrate on the feeling of home, of safety and love and community. The light turns brighter, fuzzy around the edges until it blooms pink and bursts into tiny fragments, each one pulsing softly. Sun scatters the little lights across the park, before turning towards the fountain once more.

Purple and blue and all the dreamy shades in between. Some of them are darker, and others are lighter yet.

A little more color correction for these ones, to shift their shades depending on the time, to complement the coming sunset and the sky during the night. These ones are stringed together, shining off the fountains clear water and send glimmering streams of light dancing across the tiles. 

The tables are already set up, covered with flower bouquets and jars that glow like the sun, presents for the townspeople. Sun catches sight of more than one junimo bouncing around the jars, lured in by the sweetness and joy captured within the glass.

There’s a separate table for them, a round tea table with presents small enough for them to carry off which they do with great enthusiasm, chirping delighted little thank-yous along the way. 

Some tables are laden with sweets and food, with Sun’s strawberry shortcakes in saucers each one covered with a delicate cake dome. Evelyn's cookies sit at the center of the table beside a massive chocolate cake and there’s more than enough for everyone.

Sun looks over it all with an air of satisfaction. 

“Wow,” they say quietly. “I didn’t think I could do it.”

Shaking their head to clear their mind of that thought, Sun takes a deep breath and takes a minute to enjoy the quiet.

The quiet…

The quiet? 

Their eyes narrow. That doesn’t sound right. They’ve been hearing noise all day, where did it go all of a sudden?

Sun marches towards the park entrance only to find the entire town camped out on the stairs, facing off against Boss who watches them with big brown eyes and his head pillowed sweetly on his paws. Laughter bubbles up quick at the sight of their expressions. They are met with laughter in turn as everyone realizes the silliness of their current situation. 

“Come oonn,” says Maru, bouncing on her toes. “We’ve been waiting here forever!”

A loud chorus of agreement echoes her statement.

“Let her in Boss,” they manage to say in-between giggles. 

“Yes!” says Maru, leaping over the last few stairs in one go, almost dancing in victory. “I’m in, baby!”

“Come on in everyone,” they continue and are almost knocked off their feet by the subsequent cheer.

The immediate rush of movement as the people flood in startles another loud laugh out of them and they grin so widely their cheeks begin to ache, guiding them through the park and enjoying the sudden exclamations and excitement. Emily has brought in a record player as promised and soon, music fills the area and the lights bounce in tune to everyone’s enthusiasm. 

Penny beams and waves at them from across the tables, having already gotten a glimpse of both her present and the pastries. Elliott squeezes through the crowd to give them a quick side hug, squeezing their shoulder and speaking loudly to be heard over the crowd. 

“You’ve done a wonderful job! I am positively enamored with all your decorations,” he manages to say before Leah appears at his shoulder, holding her present. Her eyes twinkle as she darts in for a quick hug, her thank you low and sincere. Elliott is dragged away by the promise that his bouquet might be bigger than the others and waves as he goes, eyes alight with curiosity. 

For a good while Sun is busy directing the party, making sure everyone gets their presents and is having a good time. After making sure Boss is alright where he is, keeping solemn watch over the children as they chase after heart shaped lights, they slip away to a more quiet area. 

A ball of light bounces in front of them, lighting their way as the sun has set and the sky is tinted various shades of fading gold, purple and a deep dark blue. Sun seats themself on the ground and pulls out a worn journal, flipping to its last pages. Their grandfather’s elegant scrawl no longer hurts them to look at. They trace the words softly and sigh.

“I’m doing my best to be happy. To love the way you taught me,” they murmur to the skies. “I think it’s working. I hope you’re happy where you are.”

A familiar voice breaks the quiet, lilting musically.

“Oh! I thought we’d find you here.”

Sun looks up from their journal to see Penny and Elliott. They smile at them, getting up and brushing off their clothes. “You came to find me?”

“The party would be much brighter with you there,” says Elliott. “But do not feel obligated to return!”

“You’ve already done so much,” continues Penny and reaches out to squeeze their hand. “Everything came out came out so lovely.” 

“Absolutely marvelous,” says Elliott. “The work you put into everything is clearly visible. But we would prefer to spend the time with you, wherever you’d like to be!”

“What he said,” giggles Penny.

Sun feels their heart glow as their friends offer to stay beside them. Warmth fills them from top to bottom, rising high until they feel like it will overflow from their eyes.

The ball of light swirling about them stretches out like taffy, forming a halo atop their head that pulses twice and then divides into two pink hearts. One brushes against Penny’s cheek while the other brushes against Elliott’s and they glow once more before popping away into little sparks.

“Thank you,” says Sun, sweet and soft. “I’m so happy to have you here with me. Let’s go back together?”

“I -- yes,” stutters Elliott, for once at a complete loss for words.

“Of course,” says Penny, managing to speak with a little more grace.

“Come on,” says Sun, offering a hand to each of their friends, beaming when they take them.

This is the happiest they've been in a long while and somehow they know there is more happiness yet in store.

They can't wait for it.

**Author's Note:**

> [valley valentines...2!](https://stardewsun.tumblr.com/post/190813533118/a)


End file.
